Boat Train to Heysham Port

Mention of a Boat Train conjures up images of Pullman Coaches, Steam Trains, Silver Service, Champagne, The Golden Arrow, The Irish Mail, so when I discovered there is still a boat train in operation I just had to travel on it!

The boat train in question is Northern Rail's daily service from Leeds to Heysham Port on an exclusive Class 144 Pacer, total travel time 2 hours 35 minutes.

So having a game up at Morecambe on Saturday 31 January 2015 (Morecambe v AFC Wimbledon) I decided I would have a trip on the aforementioned Boat Train.

This meant an early departure catching the 05:37 from Falconwood in South East London, and the 07:03 East Coast Mainline Service to Leeds arriving at 09:24 ( a journey time of 2 hours 21 minutes).

Welcome to Leeds

As the Boat Train was not due to depart Leeds until 10:19 I had some time to explore the Station and local environs, unfortunately I seemed to slip into a time warp and for some reason believed the Heysham Port train left at 10:48 and as I was ambling back to Platform 2 to pick up a coffee and film the arrival of the "Boat Train" I glanced at the departure board and with horror noted the train was due to leave in 40 seconds! I sprinted as fast as I could (for a 57 year old) and just made it as the door hissed behind me.

I took a few minutes to catch my breadth and considered the consequences of my actions 1. No film of the train arriving, 2. No film of the train in the station, 3 no pictures of the departure board, all part of my filming master plan. Oh well at least I had caught it. The worse consequence is that the next train would have meant that I would have missed kick off!

It was a long journey through some stunning countryside and some interesting industrial architecture. It had been snowing and there was a layer of the white stuff on the higher ground making the views even nicer, the sun came out to provide me with blue skies. It was however very cold, but the Pacer was nice a warm. I located my self in the seats where you can store bikes and so had good views.

Snow capped moors

We called at 15 stations between Leeds and Heysham Port; Shipley, Bingley, Keighley, Skipton, Gargrave, Hellifield, Long Preston, Giggleswick, Clapham (North Yorkshire), Bentham, Wennington, Carnforth, Lancaster, Bare Lane and Morecambe. I was up and down at each stop to film the station, it was quite busy as passengers got on and got off at each stop. The busiest was Bentham, the quetiest was Long Preston with nil passengers either on or off.

Skipton Railway Station

11:00 Skipton to Heysham Port

We had a 8/9 minute stop at Skipton that enable me to do the filming I had missed at Leeds, I captured the departure board proudly announcing Heysham Port, by the time I got to Carnforth the departure board there was stating Heysham Harbour, the former name of the station. We held over at Carnforth  for 3/4 minutes.

Carnforth is of course famous for being the location for that marvellous film staring Treavor Howard and Cecil Johnson of unconsummated love 'A Brief Encounter'. The orginal clock still stands, still telling the correct time, the Refreshment Room is still in full swing, reproducing  mid 1940's style, although these scenes were filmed in the studio. Platform 4 at Carnforth is a rather splendid Art Deco design curving to the right with a lovely arched canopy in concrete.

The clock at Carnforth 12:00

It was a further 10 minutes to  Lancaster where we held up for almost 15 minutes, plenty of time for me to spend a penny, speaking of which it costs 40p to spend a penny in Leeds and only 30p at Kings Cross and by the way it's free to pee once your past the barriers at Leeds Station.

Morecambe

Morecambe was the penultimate stop where again we held over for a few minutes to allow the driver to

swap ends and the masses of AFC Wimbledon support to depart. Shortly after leaving Morecambe we stopped in the middle of nowhere, the guard opens the front passenger door and the driver descends to switch the points for the Heysham Branch, basically a siding off the Morecambe branch, although it must be said that this siding also serves the Nuclear Power stations at Heysham and there's a run round loop and headshunt at Morecambe.

Pacer at Heysham Port

Having arrived at Heysham Port all the passengers disembarked, that was me, the guy in the fluorescent jacket and the guy with untidy long hair. There are no passengers waiting to board the train which was not a surprise given there was no Isle of Man Ferry in port. 

On checking the ferry times to the train times there does not appear to be very much co-ordination at weekends, although the last time I was here a ferry was in port. Maybe they coordinate better for the summer time table. Anyway for the record here's the timings:

Heysham Port Railway Station

Isle of Man Steam Packet          

Saturday and Sunday

Heysham  to Douglas

02:15.           05:45

Douglas  to  Heysham

20:00.           23:30

Weekdays

Heysham to Douglas

02:15.          05:45

14:15.           19:45

Douglas to  Heysham

08:45.           12:15

Heysham Nuclear Power Stations

19:45.            23:15

Train Times

Monday to Friday

Leeds  to   Heysham Port

Arrive  13:01

Heysham Port to Leeds

Depart 13:17

Saturdays

Leeds to Heysham Port

Arrive 12:54

Heysham Port to Leeds

Depart 13:15

So coordinates with the 12:15 arrival from Douglas and the 14:15 depart for Douglas Monday to Friday not to bad really, after all no passenger trains run in the early hours.

Whilst I waited for the train to depart Fluorescent Jacketman and Untidy Hairman re boarded the train having taken a few photos,  failing to engage me in conversation! We all used the Ferry Terminal toilets which was open but not very busy, the terminal not the toilets!

So that's that I've got the boat train on film so there'
s no need to revist Heysham again, unless I decide to go to the Isle of Man.

See my videos of my trip here:

Part One 

Part Two

Part Three